Should you self-publish your book?

You’ve got a book in you—you’re sure of it. Whether it’s an amazing story, or solid expert advice, you know others would benefit from the book you’re already writing in your head.

So, what is the best way for you to go about getting this book out to the masses? You’ve got a few options; we’ll walk you through them here.

Traditional PublishingGetting your book published has never been tougher—if you go the traditional royalty publisher route. Traditional, or “royalty” publishing, works like this: you (or more accurately, your literary agent) queries a publishing company with a book proposal. If the publisher “buys” your book, they’ll offer you an advance (sometimes) and a small cut of the book sales proceeds. In return, they’ll edit the book, cover the costs of production (including the cover), printing, and so forth. But this also gives them editorial control and more sway in your brand management. The publisher handles distribution—getting your book into stores and online sellers—and book promotion, handling some marketing, but leaving a larger chunk to you than you might expect.

Self-PublishingSelf-publishing is a risk you, the author, take on in full. You can expect to pay all publishing costs: editing, design, printing, marketing, advertising and distribution. Because of this, you also have control of the product: you have final say on the cover, the content, and marketing plan. Once the expenses are paid, the author receives the profits from sales. The risk to you is greater, but so is the reward.

Self-publishing, as the name implies, can be a lonely job—you are on your own, often being funneled through a cookie-cutter type system. You’re doing it all by yourself. You’ll learn by making mistakes, and some of those “lessons” can be expensive. You may just want to write, but a self-published author also serves as business manager, brand manager, and more.

Self-Publishing with an Experienced TeamThere is a third option in the new world of publishing: you can self-publish with a team.

Hiring a team of publishing professionals can make the self-publishing process much easier, less lonely, and increase the quality of your end product greatly.

You’ll also avoid costly mistakes by relying on the book professionals’ expertise. And you’ll be able to hand off much of the “book business” tasks so that you can focus on being an author—while still retaining control of content and the overall process.

Working with a self-publishing team like Kickstand Books is like hiring a personal concierge when exploring a new area. Having traveled this way before, this team can steer you in the right direction, help you make good choices, and take care of details that you, the author, might prefer not to handle. The team at Kickstand prides itself on the white glove service offered to each author, creating quality products every time including top design, printer negotiations, and more behind-the-scenes tasks most authors would prefer to leave to someone else.

Self-publishing can be a challenging yet gratifying option for authors, especially when they have a team of professionals working with them.

Leave a comment: If you’ve published a book, tell us about your experience. What worked, what didn’t? What did you learn? If you’re thinking of writing a book, do you plan to self-publish it? Why or why not?

(This is not an affilate post – just passing along a helpful guest post from Handlebar and Kickstand Books. I was not given or promised anything for sharing.)

+Angie Wright

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